1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to water slides for amusement and recreation. In particular, it relates to a water slide with a banked curved obstacle region.
2. Description of the Related Art
Toy water slides generally include an elongated strip of plastic sheet material which staked down on the lawn. These water slides also include a water sprinkler coupling which connects to a water sprinkler tube seam-welded to the plastic sheet along a peripheral edge so that a spray of water is directed to moisten the sliding surface, in order to make the surface slick. In use, a child runs toward the elongated strip of plastic sheet and flops on to it. The running inertia of the child causes the child to slide over the sliding surface and exit onto the lawn at the point where the plastic sheet terminates in length.
In order to add more amusement, a number of features have been added to prior art slides including the addition of hoops, shallow pools, and various forms of pillow like bumps to raise the child at different locations along the plastic sheet when sliding. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,922, to Katz et al, discloses a backyard toy slide that has a sliding sheet terminating in a pool. An inflatable side wall along the pool defines a serpentine pathway, through the pool, so that a child sliding on the slide follows a zig-zag path through the pool prior to sliding off the exit end of the slide. A water hose sprinkler attachment is included which, when coupled to a water supply hose, provides a spray of water to wet the slide and make the surface slick.
While the foregoing examples offer some utility, it is still desirably to provide a water slide which serves to add to the amusement of the user and to decelerate the running inertia prior to exiting the slide onto the lawn. The present invention satisfies these needs.